bigugli

It is a grey area. There are exceptions if you work for an essential service. You have to be able to clearly define how the work vehicle was unsafe for the weather conditions. Snow tires are not mandatory in Ontario so that is not sufficient grounds. An easy out is if the police or MTO issue an advisory to stay off the roads.

I used to think that those Bloopers were staged when I first watched them. Some 15 years later, and having watched or performed the same bone headed stunts, I don't think so Right crappieperchhunter I must trip over the hitch 3-4 times a year. I've also seen Vince at his finest

Lots more fighting over fishing these days on hard and soft water. The worst brawls I remember were during the smelt run along the North Shore of Huron. I hear threats being made all the time down in Niagara. Seen a couple of shoving matches. Know of a couple of fights that had the police brought in. Things are getting worse. If you push people, sooner or later they will, or must, push back. Etiquette and common courtesy are things of the past and everybody wants to be the Hollywood tough guy. I'm waiting for a couple of young fellas I know to get into it with someone. They love to plunk in right beside you.

My 2 fave brews are both downhomer's. No better red than Olands Red on tap. Then there was "10 Penny" which is no longer brewed. Have to admit there are a lot of good local brews to be had, but you rarely find them on tap

I do not like this notion that the MNR will cut off access to Crown Land whenever it finds it convenient. It is a bad practice. They want our money and taxes. They want us to be involved and volunteer. In return they stick it too the average taxpayer. I do not like the notion of 2 tiered privileges for accessing our resources. That any lake on Crown Land is the private preserve only for those who can pay. As for protecting lodge interests, there is another side to the coin; jobs. Lodges and outfitters provide jobs which bring money into the local economy.It is a big consideration to every bureaucrat and politician. Jobs = votes. From my experience, the Outdoors community has had inadequate influence at the ballot box.

Any day fishing is a good day. You can pay for it later. I am Nice trout.

Sometimes that peace and quiet is sooo nice. Enjoy it.

Wait til he learns to say, "skip school, go fishing, Dad". Best phrase I ever taught the kids. He's cute, and he's sharp. Love it.

The extreme volumes cited may not be so far fetched. How much soft plastic adorns the walls of your local tackle shop. Multiply that by every shop in North America. It adds up. Another disturbing problem with some of the plastics is that some actually expand in water. The fish cannot pass the larger baits through their system. Every lost piece of plastic, just like every lost spoon, is still there.

We'd need 2 solid days.

Hate to burst your bubbles folks, but Walmart is no different than most retailers. Most only pay minimum or a little more. Yes grocery store clerks get more per hr, thanks to a union, but 90% of them only get part-time hours and have to hold down 2 jobs.

Quick!! Run to the garage and start fondling your fishing tackle. The intervention crisis team is on its way! Whatever you do. Do not look at the television set!!!

Not you too!! Runawayyyyy! We should hook up. Maybe a shore lunch of SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM.....

Nice piece of machinery for a serious woodworker.

That is good news Cliff.

Like they say, "gotta make hay while the sun shines". The overtime just adds a little cushion.

Thus far, I have only had the pleasure of fishing with BigCliff, crappieperchhunter, Emil and Vinnimom. I have met several over the past 3 years. I do hope to connect with a whole bunch more this coming year.

I also got a copy and paste reply that my concerns were being forwarded to the Clerk

Quite right. A colder winter has also been tied to better egg viability, spawns in perch, etc...

Great report to give a morning chuckle. You're right Mercman, lotta folks just have no sense of humour in the morning.

Looking from the top of the escarpment this morning, got to see a rare sight. After 4 days of deep cold, L Ontario is ice covered as far as the eye can see. It's only a skim coat, and the first real storm will shake it apart.

Well done Emil.

And you are still, like me, part of a very small minority. Residents squawk and politicians listen, and the outsiders become the scapegoat. Whether the trouble is local or outsider does not matter. It will also help to line someone's pocket.

For the most part, we are the hard core of the fishing world. We live eat breath fishing. The average angler is a 2 week a year weekend warrior. Don't know the issues and don't care. Like most weekend warriors and their hobbies. See it camping, fishing, skidooing, cycling, golfing, etc... Too busy having fun to worry about the impact they are having. Used to having people clean up after them rather than cleaning up after themselves. With this prevalent attitude, get used to seeing trash. Get used to seeing angry residents. Get used to seeing restricted access. Other municipalities take another tack. Automated parking lots and user fees. I've seen the ticket meters in a few fishing locations as well. The sites were downloaded on municipalities that don't want to foot the bill. So visitors now pay.

A drooling smiley